FORT PIERCE - Saturday October 28, 2023: It’s a simple yes or no question that St. Lucie County drivers are asked the day they receive their license: “Would you like to give the gift of life?” Agreeing to this simple task in St. Lucie County Tax Collector Chris Craft’s Fort Pierce and Tradition offices will earn that driver a spot on one of Christian Medina’s Trees of Life – a bright, colorful reminder of just how important organ and tissue donation is. Christian was a Lincoln Park Academy baseball player who was killed in a car accident on his way to school in October of 2013. Christian made the heroic decision, when he received his driver license, to become a registered organ donor. In doing so, he saved three lives.
To encourage more people to be heroes like Christian, St. Lucie County Tax Collector Chris Craft and Donate Life Florida created Christian’s Tree of Life on display in the Fort Pierce and Tradition offices. When someone becomes a registered organ donor, he or she can place their name on the tree. Since the tree’s dedication in 2014, over 50% of St. Lucie County drivers have become registered organ donors, making the county’s driver license organ donor designation rate one of the highest in the state.
“In 2022, the U.S. reached a historic milestone of 1 million transplants performed,” explains Craft. “While that achievement is exceptional, there are still over 100,000 people on the transplant waiting list. The numbers tell a compelling story of the importance of this cause, and I am happy and humbled to bring awareness to giving the gift of life.”
For more information on becoming a registered organ donor visit https://www.donatelifeflorida.org/